Really interesting concept and a beautiful story. A must for music lovers that like their stories with a hint of the supernatural.

I received a copy of this manga through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

With mangas and graphic novels I read little to none of the summary because I always enjoy them. And that’s why I did not expect what I got from this story. I was just expecting some musical prodigy story, without any fantastical inclinations. I was soooo wrong!😆
I liked this story a lot, I also loved the art! However I see this manga more as a great anime because you just can’t hear the music from a book….😊

I was honestly surprised by how great this story is!

Shu has no hopes for his future, not when his family is broken and everyone labels him as a dangerous delinquent. A teacher introduces him to a young talented pianist, Yuzuki Akari, and fate crosses their path again, and Akari somehow wants more than anything to make him fall in love with the music she plays.

But their relationship is cut short due to a tragedy, and Shu ends up having a left-hand that is expert in playing piano. A sad miracle that I was shocked to know about, but it's the core of the story that makes it great. I cannot say more since it will spoil the story, but I really love this part of the story.

It's not something new, but the idea of it is used in a fresh way that makes Shu's character and his "left-hand" very fun to read about. I also love that even though Shu never has anything planned for his future before, he now wants to honour Akari by learning how to play the piano and let the world hear it.

I think his journey to become a great pianist (as hinted on the cover and the first few pages) will be interesting to follow, and I would love to read the next volumes of this series!

Shu is a high school delinquent who feels like he has no prospects and his life is already over. That is, until he meets Akari, a piano prodigy his own age. Akari is determined to reach Shu's heart with her music and show him that it isn't too late to find his passion. But in a sudden tragic accident involving both of them, Akari is killed on her way to a performance. Shu survives and finds that Akari's spirit has possessed his left hand. Unable to achieve goals while alive, Akari and Shu make the decision together that he will play in her stead. Now Shu just has to learn to play with his other hand and time is running out.

A great premise, the story is hectic and choppy. I found it a bit hard to follow and couldn't really form an attachment to any of the characters.

Good read. Loved the way they depicted both of them playing music. Also liked the inclusion of the music played at the end. Waiting for the next volume.

Well now, Piano Duo for the Left Hand did not go down the path I expected. At all, at one point I was actually thinking “huh, what?” while reading. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this first instalment. To be honest I’m not quite sure what I think of it.

On the one hand I thought the characters and story are set up well at the start and the strong left(handed) turn this takes is interesting. It’s also bonkers. Once you get passed that Piano Duo for the Left Hand enters a more familiar route of a character being driven to achieve a goal and the rivals and hurdles that come with it.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you are fond of music mangas and storylines where protagonists find their passion in life, you may read this.

This manga is all about Shu who is a tough guy and has no plans for his future and meets Akari, a prodigy in piano. They have established a bond but cut short because of a tragedy. Shu felt guilty for Akari's death when suddenly he discovers that his left hand is being possesed with Akari's spirit.

The storyline of this manga is very interesting however for me, it is not well executed. The story doesn't just get to me and I feel like some scenes are rushed.

[ thank you to Kondansha and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC ! ]

actual rating: 3.5

I have a soft spot for stories following protagonists finding and pursuing their passion later in life- Blue Period, Smile Down the Runway (Runway de Waratte); to name a few. So, I went into this excited and expecting to love it. For the most part, it was an enjoyable read, but honestly pretty forgettable.

The concept of the story is super interesting, and isn’t really something I’ve seen before. However, I feel it fell a little flat due to the characters (particularly their relationship) being underdeveloped and really suffering from the pacing being a little off. I feel that the book was trying to jam-pack as much as it possibly could in the least amount of pages, not giving much room for us and the characters to breathe and grow. The start was especially weak, and I feel it could have benefited from taking more time to establish the setting and allow us to fall in love with the characters, especially Akari as we won’t be able to see her fully about halfway through the book. I guess I would have also wanted a little bit of the Sun is Also a Star exploration of their relationship (but platonic rather than romantic) where they would be able to become quite close and intimate in that short period of time.

The second half was a lot stronger. I enjoyed seeing the switch in our protagonist as he finally takes control and has something he wants to work for. I would have liked to see more passion on his part though, and more of the determination after he finally finds something *he* wants to do, rather than just focusing on doing it for Akari. Again, I feel this switch in his character would have been stronger as well if we just had more time with him in the beginning. Nevertheless, I had a really good time reading this part, and quite enjoyed the banter and kinship between Shu and Akari. Once we properly got into the plot, the writing had more clear direction and was less muddled (was a bit fast for my taste though).

The art is beautiful, and especially the scenes where we have Shu and Akari playing together. In general, the composition was always creative and compelling, and the art style was just a treat to look at. However, one of my favourite things about music manga is how the art represents the sound. Aside from with Shu and Akari, I feel the art could have done a bit more to aid us in picturing how the music sounds and should make us feel.

Overall, the manga was an enjoyable read, but a bit lacking on some aspects. Nonetheless, I had a fun time reading it and was a good way to just destress!

Thank you netGalley for letting me review this book book.

As much as I did enjoy this graphic novel, I would say that this had a fair share of awkward as well as messy parts that put me off a little bit,

The characters are definitely interesting, however, there are times that I felt that the characterization was too much and it ended up cringey and awkward in some instances.

There are also times that I felt the scenes were rushed that would give this feel of messy as it drags on.

Overall, I think this was an okay read.

The story line was something that I have not read before which was very enjoyable. It made me want to keep reading to see what was next. A very heartfelt story about two people trying to connect and make music and making not on,y their dreams come tru but other peoples dreams as well. I can’t wait to see what will happen next. As well as see how these characters will grow as people but also how will they grow with music all together. This will be one that I will be recommending to others and thank you for giving me the chance to read this beautiful story.

I’m not a fan of this book. It is explicitly described as being an adult book, but the main characters are in middle school. This isn’t a problem in itself as adult books with child main characters can be done well. My issues are that a.) all these characters are drawn with the proportions of adults, and b.) nothing about the character’s actions or the plot itself is related to middle school. There was no reason the characters in this adult book had to be middle schoolers. The author could literally swap the words “middle school” with “college” in the script and every other detail could remain the same. On top of that, the characters are bland, and every adult in this book with the exception of Akari’s dad is horribly abusive to Shu.

Thank you so much to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

Can we please stop with the "this character looks like an adult, but is actually a middle schooler !" trope ? It just feels like it was done to make the male MC as much of an outcast as possible. It also looks incredibly awkward, which I know is also the point, when he's with the female MC, who actually looks like a middle schooler.

The opening scene of this manga felt quite bizzare, and I'm not really sure what it was establishing. I feel like we're never really able to connect with the characters, and no time is given to actually develop the relationship between the two MCs before the twist happens. The pacing of this book goes at breakneck speed to where it feels a bit soulless, and just way too rushed.

The description for this manga sounds intriguing and piqued my interest, but the execution is choppy, and I just didn't find myself caring about the characters in the end.

ARC Copy...even though it took me a awhile to figure out and establish what the narrative flow and genre was, promising start so far. Although it was bit hmm "don't know what to think yet" to see violent/uncouth "urban" low class behavior clash with the higher up world of pianos + musicians.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This was an interesting manga with a tragic start contrasting a comforting end.

The protagonist Shu was a delinquent by circumstance, not by choice, and when he shed his rough bad boy attitude he was rather endearing. His guilt made him pitiable and his dogged determination to honour Akari’s wish was honourable. Really, he was a good guy and a protagonist to root for. His character design was a little questionable. He looked much too big to be a middle schooler and his ridiculous trousers looked like Ali Baba pants three sizes too big for him so that any panel that featured his full frame had him looking like a mushroom cloud. If anything, it was amusing to see.

What really made this volume memorable was the unexpected emotions that constantly bombarded the reader due to the sudden twist and it’s impact on multiple characters. If the story has continued on as a contemporary exploring grief without the fantasy element it would’ve been an automatic five stars and perhaps a manga to remember. The fantasy element didn’t necessarily detract from the story so much that it took the story in a completely different direction, one that seemed sceptical at first but slowly grew into its own and, by the end, the idea of another person living in someone’s hand didn’t seem so odd.

The piano element was an interesting choice because it can be hard to convey music through the written medium, however, the author did manage to capture the essence of people’s love for piano music. In fact, as evidenced by the detailed endnotes on the different piano pieces mentioned in the story, it was clear the author had done their research and that really helped bolster the credibility of the piano music inclusion.

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of happily ever after endings and there was a whiff of that during this ending. But it would be more accurate to say the ending was encompassed by hope and it was more fitting to have such a high ending to combat all the low and sad emotions displayed throughout. It certainly set a good pace for possible conflict to come in Piano Duo for the Left Hand, Vol. 2.

The beginning was a bit mature for my taste. Not a big fan of female abuse.
But after that the story is great. The concept is outrageously creative and unique. I have never read a story like it before. I love that the girl is so chipper and happy while the guy is grumpy. Lol it’s my favorite trope style.
The art style is beautiful.
This is the 1st book(manga) I. The series.

Piano Duo for the Left Hand surprised me by being very interesting! I'm not usually a fan of music manga, since capturing sound on a paper hardly ever works. Shu's a delinquent and he ends up in fights all the time. He meets Akari, a fellow student and a piano virtuoso, and listens to her concert although not enjoying it that much. Due to circumstances they both end up late and thus they pedal to the concert place together, so that Akari won't be late. But, there's a car crash and Akari dies and Shu gets injured. Oddly enough Akari lives on now in Shu's left hand and Shu decides to continue the girl's dream. The whole thing is quite dramatic and happens very fast, but the idea is surely something else. There a sports manga feeling to this and I surely want to know how the series evolves, since the plot is constructed well and the flow is great.

The art looks awesome. There's depth to it and the movement looks nice. You get the feeling of music from the series and I loved the info about the classical pieces at the back. Finally a music series even I can enjoy! The cover looks great too and somehow this reminded me of Midori Days to some extent. I also enjoyed the fact that this has a dark side too, since it makes the story more realistic, even though we have a ghost now occupying a hand. One of the better music series by far!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha, and Kenta Matsuoka for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this books, but it is a brilliantly crafted story with artwork to match.

Shi is a delinquent, but when he meets one of the top middle school piano players, Akari, he starts to find friendship in an unexpected place. After a tragic accident, Akari's spirit lives through Shu's left hand, controlling his every action and playing the piano with finesse. As Akari's wish is to make people smile with music, so then becomes Shu's goal.

This is the first volume, but seems to be originally written as a self-contained single volume. It seems to have done well enough to warrant further volumes, and the writing is brilliant with a lot of story potential. There are comedic moments, intense moments, intellectual moments, and moments of emotional height that can be hard to come by in a manga. This is an excellent read, one that I highly recommend.

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Everyone thinks of Shu as a delinquent, and he doesn't really have any plans for the future. But a chance meeting with fellow student and pianist Akari Yuzuki changes his outlook a little. A sudden accident takes Akari's life, leaving Shu feeling guilty. But then he realizes something isn't quite right with his left hand...and there might be a future for him after all.

When I started reading the first few pages of this, I almost thought I had the wrong manga. Shu is a middle schooler known for fighting people and being violent. The story then transitioned to Shu meeting Akari and them getting to know each other. I thought the pacing in this volume was a little weird, but it worked out okay overall. The art style was nice. By the end, I found myself cheering for Shu, though I will say I'm not really attached to any of the characters yet.

I might continue with this one, I might not. I liked some parts of the story, but I'm not sure if I'll keep reading. Fans of music mangas might enjoy this one.

Content: language, violence, death, attempted suicide

When tragedy cuts the relationship between Shu (a high school delinquent) and Akari (a piano prodigy) short, Shu is devastated and blames himself. In the midst of this tragedy, he realised his left hand is no longer his own as he begins a journey with music, exploring hope and purpose ...

I went into this volume completely blind, having seen the art on the cover and found interest - I have to say I was quite surprised by the turn it took. I was expecting it to go in a very different direction than it did, and I am somewhat grateful - though it contains tragedy, the story reads almost like a rom-com in its tone at parts, with playful and cheerful characters contrasted to the experience of grief and the different forms that can take.

Shu and Akari are characters with very different backgrounds in life (Shu has had quite a difficult upbringing whereas Akari is the rich daughter of a famous piano player) so their dynamic is interesting to watch. I think this series has a lot of potential, and I would be interested to see the dynamic between all the characters introduced in this volume grow in future volumes.

<i>I would like to thank Kenta Matsuoka and Kodansha for the complimentary copy of this volume in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley</i>

So I went into this expecting a Blue Period/Boys Run The Riot-esque story of a disaffected youth finding himself through art, and although there are definitely shades of those stories I was totally not expecting the twist this takes - but I'm not mad at it! The pacing felt good, the chemistry between the two leads felt suprisingly genuine considering how little time they spend together and the art is super satisfying to look at, although it is definitely outside my usual style as a slice-of-life reader. I'm definitely interested to see if the series can keep this momentum as it moves forward into the grind of Shu's fledgling piano career, and if they can give Akari a fulfilling arc that doesn't just see her as - quite literally - his left hand. I'll definitely be checking out the second vol.